New councilmembers sworn in; Jon McLain named mayor and Joanne Ribble named vice-mayor on April 5, 2023
Councilmembers front row, left to right: Dist. 1 Vice-Mayor Joanne Ribble; Dist. 3 Mayor Jon McLain; Dist. 5 Rafael Lopez.
Back row, left to right: Dist. 4 Lori Fayhee; Dist. 2 Larry Fiesel; Dist. 7 George Zalucki; Dist. 6 Jim Ward.
The meeting started with the Honorable Elisabeth Adams, 20th Judicial Circuit Judge, reading the Oath of Office to the councilmembers for District 3 Jon McLain, District 4 Lori Fayhee, District 5 Rafael Lopez and District 7 George Zalucki. This was followed by the election of the new Mayor Jon McLain and Vice-Mayor Joanne Ribble. (See additional photos in slide show at the end of this article.)
A short reception was then held for the Councilmembers and their families. All four previous mayors, Nick Batos, Jim Boesch, Bill Ribble and Katy Errington, were on hand to congratulate the new council, mayor and vice-mayor.
Action Items
Resolution No. 2023-07 Sandy Lane bike/pedestrian improvement state funding
The Village received $450,000 in state appropriations in the FY 2022- 2023 State of Florida budget for the construction of a path, a bridge over the Estero River, landscaping, and street lighting along Sandy Lane. Council adopted this resolution which will authorize Village Manager Steve Sarkozy to apply for and obtain the funds from the State of Florida Department of Transportation.
Public Works Director David Willems stated the project design is 90 percent complete and construction should start this summer, with completion to be late 2023 or the early 2024.
Resolution No. 2023-08 River Creek Phase 2 Plat PLT2022-E003
Council previously approved rezoning for the Corkscrew Crossing property, 395 acres, located on the south side of Corkscrew Road, east of Wildcat Run and west of The Preserve at Corkscrew on September 25, 2019. A plat was approved for Phase One, which is now under construction. The Development Order was issued on November 30, 2022 for Phase Two of the project, which consists of 213 lots. (There is a third future phase which will bring the total number of units to 554.) The plat is the last step in the process to enable lots to be developed and sold.
Workshops
Senate appropriations/legislative updates
Village lobbyists Ronald Brook, RL Book, and Lena Juarez, JEJ Associates, gave an update on some of the actions taken by the state legislature in this fourth week into the session. There is a proposed $350 million that will be allotted to hurricane impacted areas in southwest Florida.
The Village lobbyists will be making a separate request for monies for Estero’s septic to sewer program to assist homeowners with this expense. They stated that Florida’s budget is robust even in these times of inflation.
No voting occurs during workshops.
Vieste, LLC update
Village consultant Michael Comparato described the evaluation he, Lauren Sharkey and others from his firm have conducted on the four unsolicited proposals for recreational facilities received pertaining to the 20-acre Village-owned property on Via Coconut and Williams Road. The proposals were from: High 5 Entertainment, Chicken n Pickle, Pickle & Social, and Crystal Lagoons.
Each proposal was evaluated regarding return on investment, programming and land plan. It was stated that a driving range could be incorporated into one of the plans as well.
The consultant will be holding a public meeting tomorrow, Thursday, April 6, with an update on the progress related to the Village Center Hub project. The Public Information Session will be held from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Estero Community Church located at 21115 Design Parc Lane.
In addition, there is a Focus Group that has been formed. Those interested in joining this group should contact Carol Sacco, Village Clerk, at 239-221-5035.
No voting occurs during workshops; however, Council came to a consensus to prioritize Pickle & Social over Chicken n Pickle (both pickleball entities) due to the potential return on investment.
Florida Department of Transportation – I-75 update
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) recently started construction on the landscape improvement at the Corkscrew Road interchange and held public meetings regarding the Southwest Connect Project.
Public Works Director David Willems presented an update on the landscaping project, which will include grass, trees, shrubs and groundcover. He explained the irrigation is going in now and FDOT will maintain the landscaping for two years. The Village will then take over maintenance of the landscaping in 2025 at an estimated cost of approximately $216,000 per year.
Willems also addressed FDOT’s Southwest Connect – I-75 Corridor project including proposed improvements estimated to be needed from Corkscrew Road to Bonita Beach Road in 2028.
No voting occurs during workshops.
Residents may view the archived meeting by going to the Village website.
The next Council meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, April 19, 2023